ANST - Risk taking ("Ronald Day")

Michael Tucker michaelt at mechatronics.com
Mon Nov 2 08:14:47 PST 1998


Noble cousins, extended family, good gentles all,
Greetings from Michael Silverhands:

Every day I receive quite a bit of email, much of which could be
categorized as "Humor" or "Deep thoughts". I almost never forward this
stuff, on the assumption that it's making the rounds of the 'net without my
help. Today I received a piece that made me stop and think very hard about
what we do in the SCA, and - more importantly - WHY we do what we do.

All too often, we find ourselves in situations where we are forced to
choose between doing "the safe thing" and doing "the right thing". This is
increasingly true as you advance in rank, gaining "duties and privileges
appertaining". As Landed Nobility, Neassa and I often find ourselves on the
horns of this particular dilemma: "safe" or "right"? Although I have not
sat the Sable Throne, I have served those who have, and I know that the
Crown is regularly faced with the most difficult choices of all. But it
doesn't matter how much rank you hold, we all have to face this problem.

We each have to make our own decisions, because no-one but you can say what
is in your heart, or what is the right path. Sometimes "the needs of the
many outweigh the needs of the one"; sometimes it's the other way around.
All I ask each of you, and the reason for my post today, is that you don't
automatically choose the path that covers your you-know-what, at the
expense of hurting good people in the process. Sometimes you have to follow
your heart even when you know it will mean personal risk or harm.

When faced with tough choices, be courageous! Make the best choice you can
and stick with it until you see a better way. And if you find a better way
after you've made your decision, be courageous again! Swallow your pride,
admit that your earlier decision wasn't the best (though it was the best
you could see at the time) and, again, take the best course. Though you
may not be a Lion of Ansteorra, have the heart of a Lion as much as you
can!

"So what?" if you lose an office or an award because you went out on a limb
to help someone who needed it, and was reaching out to you for help. At the
end of the day, the offices you've held and the awards you've received
don't mean nearly as much as your character. Honor, integrity, and a good
heart will be remembered long after those other things are forgotten. I
can't tell you off-hand what offices or awards were held by Ragnar, Ricardo,
Caitlin or Cadi. But anyone who knew them can tell you what wonderful
people they were, and what a difference they made in so many lives.

Well, I'll get off my soap-box now and let the piece speak for itself. I
remain yours, in service and with love,

Michael

p.s. it occurs to me that this piece may be fictional, as so many such
things are on the 'net. Personally, I don't think it matters...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A "Ronald Day" to Remember


A number of years ago (1983-1987), I had the opportunity to play the
character of Ronald McDonald for the McDonald's Corporation. My
marketplace covered most of Arizona and a portion of Southern California.

One of our standard events was "Ronald Day." One day each month, we
visited as many of the community hospitals as possible, bringing a little
happiness into a place where no one ever looks forward to going. I was
very proud to be able to make a difference for children and adults who
were experiencing some "down time." The warmth and gratification I would
receive stayed with me for weeks. I loved the project, McDonald's loved
the project, the kids and adults loved it and so did the nursing and
hospital staffs....

...There were two restrictions placed on me during a visit.
First, I could not go anywhere in the hospital without
McDonald's personnel (my handlers) as well as hospital
personnel. That way, if I were to walk into a room and
frighten a child, there was someone there to address
the issue immediately. And second, I could not physically
touch anyone within the hospital. They did not want me
transferring germs from one patient to another. I understood
why they had this "don't touch" rule, but I didn't like it.
I believe that touching is the most honest form of
communication we will ever know. Printed and
spoken words can lie; it is impossible to lie with a
warm hug.

Breaking either of these rules, I was told, meant I could
lose my job.....

... Toward the end of my fourth year of "Ronald Days,"
as I was heading down a hallway after a long day in grease
paint and on my way home, I heard a little voice.
"Ronald, Ronald."

I stopped. The soft little voice was coming through a
half-opened door. I pushed the door open and saw a
young boy, about five years old, lying in his dad's arms,
hooked up to more medical equipment than I had ever
seen. Mom was on the other side, along with Grandma,
Grandpa and a nurse tending to the equipment.

I knew by the feeling in the room that the situation was
grave. I asked the little boy his name---he told me it was
Billy---and I did a few simple magic tricks for him. As I
stepped back to say good-bye, I asked Billy if there was
anything else I could do for him.

"Ronald, would you hold me?"...

...Such a simple request. But what ran through my mind
was that if I touched him, I could lose my job. So I told
Billy I could not do that right now, but I suggested that he
and I color a picture. Upon completing a wonderful piece
of art that we were both very proud of, Billy again asked
me to hold him. By this time my heart was screaming
"yes!" But my mind was screaming louder. "No! You
are going to lose your job!"

This second time that Billy asked me, I had to ponder
why I could not grant the simple request of a little boy
who probably would not be going home. I asked myself
why was I being logically and emotionally torn apart by
someone I had never seen before and probably would
never see again.

..."Hold me." It was such a simple request, and yet... I
searched for any reasonable response that would allow
me to leave. I could not come up with a single one.
It took me a moment to realize that in this situation, losing
my job may not be the disaster I feared.

Was losing my job the worst thing in the world?

Did I have enough self-belief that if I did lose my job, I would
be able to pick up and start again? The answer was a loud,
bold affirming "yes!" I could pick up and start again.

So what was the risk?

Just that if I lost my job, it probably would not be long
before I would lose first my car, then my home...and to
be honest with you, I really liked those things. But I
realized that at the end of my life, the car would have no
value and neither would the house. The only things that
had steadfast value were experiences. Once I reminded
myself that the real reason I was there was to bring a
little happiness to an unhappy environment, I realized that
I really faced no risk at all...

...I sent Mom, Dad, Grandma and Grandpa out of the room,
and my two McDonald's escorts out to the van. The nurse
tending the medical equipment stayed, but Billy asked her
to stand and face the corner.

Then I picked up this little wonder of a human being. He was
so frail and so scared. We laughed and cried for 45 minutes,
and talked about the things that worried him.

Billy was afraid that his little brother might get lost coming
home from kindergarten next year, without Billy to show him
the way. He worried that his dog wouldn't get another bone
because Billy had hidden the bones in the house before
going back to the hospital, and now he couldn't remember
where he put them.

These are problems to a little boy who knows he is not
going home.

On my way out of the room, with tear-streaked makeup
running down my neck, I gave Mom and Dad my real name
and phone number (another automatic dismissal for Ronald
McDonald, but I figured that I was gone and had nothing to
lose), and said if there was anything the McDonald's
Corporation or I could do, to give me a call and consider it
done...

...Less than 48 hours later, I received a phone call form Billy's
mom. She informed me that Billy had passed away. She
and her husband simply wanted to thank me for making a
difference in their little boy's life.

Billy's mom told me that shortly after I left the room, Billy
looked at her and said, "Momma, I don't care anymore if
I see Santa this year because I was held by Ronald McDonald."

Sometimes we must do what is right for the moment,
regardless of the perceived risk. Only experiences have value,
and the one biggest reason people limit their experiences is
because of the risk involved.

For the record, McDonald's did find out about Billy and me,
but given the circumstances, permitted me to retain my job.
I continued as Ronald for another year before leaving the
corporation to share the story of Billy and how important it
is to take risks.

Jeff McMullen
============================================================================
Go to http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.



More information about the Ansteorra mailing list